While Oct. 14 may be seen as a celebration of Christopher Columbus or a celebration of indigenous peoples and the culture of the Americas before colonization, it should be noted that it is also National Dessert Day. In honor of perhaps the most important holiday of the year, we at the Clog have curated a list of six locations in Berkeley that specialize in dessert. Hopefully, these spots will give you a reason to celebrate National Dessert Day this year!
Tartine Bakery
Tartine Bakery recently opened at the Graduate Hotel in Berkeley, and it’s been super crowded ever since. Tartine serves a variety of pastries, as well as teacakes, cupcakes, loaves, cookies and even sandwiches. Tartine is a world-class bakery, with other locations in Los Angeles, San Francisco and South Korea. With a French name like Tartine, you don’t even have to eat anything to know it’s going to be good — although we do recommend that you eat something because it’s delicious and capitalism (it fuels the economy and whatnot).
Cupcakin’ Bake Shop
Cupcakin’, located on Telegraph Avenue just two blocks away from campus, serves some of the best cupcakes you can find in Berkeley. In fact, CupCakin’ is so good it usually closes early because it runs out of cupcakes for the day. If it were any other business, we’d be mad, but we understand how good its cupcakes are and how important it is that those sweets are shared with the world. Cupcakin’ Bake Shop’s current flavor of the month, “drunken pumpkin pie,” is perfect for the Halloween season — and don’t worry readers, you won’t get drunk from this cupcake.
Cinnaholic
Located on Oxford Street, Cinnaholic is a one-of-a-kind eatery where you can get your own custom made cinnamon rolls. With over 15 different flavors of icing and more than 20 different toppings, the possibilities are endless; when you walk into Cinnaholic, anything can happen. Besides freshly baked cinnamon rolls, Cinnaholic also serves bite-sized baby buns, cookies, brownies and raw, edible cookie dough. While addiction is no laughing matter, Cinnaholic is sure to make you addicted to cinnamon rolls — so go at your own risk; although, we promise if you do go, you’ll enjoy it.
CREAM
Just a couple of doors down from Cupcakin’ is CREAM, which is an acronym for “cookies rule everything around me.” While it may sound like a mouthful, we’re sure your mouth will be full (ha, get it? it’s a pun) from the wide variety of cookies, ice cream flavors, brownies and more. At night, CREAM often has a line that goes out the door. At CREAM, you can get ice cream sandwiches with cookies, brownies, do’sants (donut + croissant), waffles and even mini ice cream sandwiches. Whatever you end up getting, we’re sure you’ll find the perfect dessert to enjoy National Dessert Day here.
Almare Gelato Italiano
If regular ice cream isn’t good enough for you and you’re feeling particularly bougie, then head on down to Shattuck Avenue and stop by Almare Gelato Italiano for some delicious, you guessed it, gelato. Almare serves a wide variety of gelato flavors from the classic stracciatella to toasted almonds and caramelized figs — making it a great place to go with your friends if you want to feel more cultured. Almare also sells other goods such as different kinds of chocolate, espresso and cookies. If you’re feeling particularly worldly or you’re in the mood for some good gelato, Almare’s the perfect place for you to spend National Dessert Day.
Yogurt Park
A Berkeley classic, Yogurt Park has been serving the Berkeley community since 1977, and it’s only gotten better with age. It’s the first place that comes to mind for many when they think about frozen yogurt and the generous portions will make you want to go back for more. Unlike many other frozen yogurt spots, Yogurt Park’s cookie dough topping isn’t some meager excuse for cookie dough — it’s the real thing. Lucky for all of us, Yogurt Park is open until midnight every night — making it a great place to grab a midnight snack, and end your National Dessert Day.
Whether you’re in the mood for a baked goody or a creamy treat, rest assured that you won’t need to travel far to satisfy your sweet tooth. With so many great dessert places in Berkeley, you can’t really go wrong with any of these fine establishments. Go ahead and check out one (or all) of these places to celebrate National Dessert Day!